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House Chimaeros
House Chimaeros was once considered the noblest House among all the Imperial Knights of the Knight World of Adrastapol. No other House of that world can boast to have held the crown of its High King as often or as long as House Chimaeros. Yet today its name stands as a testimony that even the most illustrious bloodline can fall prey to the evil promises of Chaos. Under the disguise of friendship and loyalty, House Chimaeros secretly planned to betray their allies and kill them on the beleaguered Industrial World of Donatos Primus. Colluding with the Chaos Space Marines of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion, House Chimaeros planned to use the events of what became known as the Donatos Uprising to seize power on Adrastapol and formally secede from the Imperium. Initially successful in their attempt to wound the Loyalist Knight Houses of Adrastapol, House Chimaeros and their equally treacherous allies within House Wyvorn quickly became embroiled in a three-way conflict with the remaining Imperial forces on Donatos Primus as well as their former allies among the Word Bearers and the Renegades and Chaos Cultists stirred up in the Donatos population. Weakened by this division, House Chimaeros was ultimately defeated, its remaining Nobles hunted down by the vengeful Knights of House Draconis, House Minotos and House Pegasson. The last Loyalist scion of this ancient House chose to abandon his family name and turned Freeblade. Under the identity of the Knight of Ashes, he now hunts for the source of House Chimaeros' corruption: a powerful Witch in the service of the Changer of Ways, the Chaos God Tzeentch. House History The origins of House Chimaeros are a matter of fierce speculation -- as are the origins of all of Adrastapol's Knight Houses -- since most records of that distant time when Adrastapol was first colonised by humans are now lost to Imperial archives. It is generally agreed upon that as with most later Knight Worlds of the Imperium of Mankind, Adrastapol was first settled in the distant Age of Technology. In the earliest records available House Chimaeros was but one -- if a powerful one -- of several Houses of Imperial Knights claiming Adrastapol as their homeworld. Perhaps more than any other House, House Chimaeros has left its mark on its homeworld. It is generally believed to have produced the greatest numbers of High Kings of Adrastapol. It was for instance under the banner of High King Rhoderic Tan Chimaeros that the Loyalist Knight Houses met the Renegade Knights of House Hydrax and House Medusos during the troubled times of the Horus Heresy and defeated them. Over the following millennia, House Chimaeros held a firm grip on the office of High King, a position that went mostly unchallenged. In their wisdom, House Chimaeros did not try to subjugate the other Houses, but allowed them to maintain their own identity and independence, thus preventing an internecine conflict between itself, House Draconis, House Minotos, House Manticos, House Wyvorn and House Pegasson. After this long period of stability, Adrastapol successfully fended off a major Greenskin invasion known to Imperial historians as WAAAGH! Skarjaw. The Ork Warboss Skarjaw was a feral representative of his race and had built his might with a powerful complement of lumbering warbeasts commonly referred to as Squiggoths. Following the losses of several fortresses and keeps belonging to House Manticos, the young High King, High King Gerraint Tan Chimaeros reforged the ancient alliance of Adrastapol's Knights to prosecute a war of extermination upon the Orks, a series of bloody conflicts that entered Adrastapol's history under the title of the Ork Wars. Thanks to the courage and audacity of House Draconis, and in particular the future High King Tolwyn Tan Draconis, Warboss Skarjaw and his personal Squiggoth were slain in a surprise attack, the overeager Greenskin having ventured too far from the main invasion forces. Yet as they have done on countless planets within the galaxy, the Orks promptly settled on Adrastapol and it took High King Gerraint and his Knights years of effort to rid the Knight World of the xenos taint. The Seed of Discord The Orks had taken a fearful toll on the Knight Houses of Adrastapol, but none had suffered more than House Manticos, which lost several keeps and their ruler to the battle-hungry xenos. It was while contemplating the devastation left by the Orks that High King Gerraint Tan Chimaeros encountered a wounded child as he wandered alone in the ruins of a Manticos fortress. It was a girl -- on the cusp of womanhood, certainly, but a girl still -- almost naked and afraid in the fire-burnt ruins of her home. She was slowly bleeding out, and if the steps of the High King had not taken him to her hiding hole, she would have likely died from blood-loss or infection. Acting as every noble son of Adrastapol would, the High King lifted her from the ground, her frail body easily fitting in his strong arms and rescuing her, riding hard to get her to a medicae. Only later would Gerraint learn the name of the beautiful girl he had saved: Alicia, daughter of the former ruler of House Manticos. In the following years, inspired by the firm friendship that had developed between High King Gerraint and Tolwyn Tan Draconis, House Chimaeros and House Draconis led the remaining Knight Houses to war against the survivors of WAAAGH! Skarjaw which had scattered into the wild regions of Adrastapol and subsequently turned feral. With their ruler yet too young to rule, House Manticos was placed under the tutelage of House Chimaeros, the beginning of a process that would lead it to become first a client of the High King's House before being completely absorbed by it. This evolution came in no small part as a consequence of High King Gerraint's growing attachment to Alicia Dar Manticos. As the girl turned into a young woman, this attachment grew into love until both legitimised their relationship in marriage. Thus did Alicia Kar Manticos become consort to the High King of Adrastapol, but she would not rule. Yet, her diplomatic talent and natural intelligence quickly made her the High King's most trusted advisor. Through her counsel was the friendship between House Chimaeros and House Draconis cemented, but then came the baleful events of the Galhorm Crusade, a war whose repercussions would guide House Chimaeros along a much darker path. The extensive tally of the dead, especially within House Chimaeros, suggests that the Imperial forces indeed faced and vanquished a terrible threat, but the identity of the enemy remains mysterious. For House Chimaeros, the victory left the bitter taste of defeat as High King Gerraint's only son and heir, Gedric Tan Chimaeros, was killed by the enemy. According to the ancient laws of Adrastapol, the crown of the High King passed on to House Draconis, even though Alicia Kar Manticos had already given birth to a second son, Luk Tan Chimaeros, who would grow up alongside Tolwyn's own son, Danial Tan Draconis. While outwardly maintaining a facade of loyalty and friendship, Alicia Kar Manticos began to prey on Gerraint's grief. Now bearing only the title of Viscount of House Chimaeros, Gerraint's sorrow concerning the loss of his firstborn son and his love for his consort birthed a rancour which was directed towards the Imperium of Man and his former friend, Tolwyn Tan Draconis, whom he perceived as an usurper denying him his legitimate claim to the throne. Outwardly, the changes were minimal, but inwardly this altered allegiance ran deep. Under Alicia's tutelage Viscount Gerraint began to secretly worship one of the forbidden Gods of Chaos, Tzeentch the Changer of Ways. In the years that followed, the remaining House Manticos Knights were further integrated into House Chimaeros' military structure, allowing House Chimaeros to maintain its numerical superiority over House Draconis. At the same time, Gerraint began to look for allies amongst Adrastapol's other Noble Houses and found a willing ally in Archduke Dunkan Tan Wyvorn, the leader of the brutal House Wyvorn. All they awaited was an opportunity to strike at their enemy from an unexpected quarter. After years of patience, that opportunity presented itself when the Imperium yet again called the Knights of Adrastapol to war, this time to liberate the Industrial World of Donatos Primus from the enemy that had befallen it. Betrayal The populous world of Donatos Primus had succumbed to civil unrest and insurrection, Chaos Cultists and insurrectionist Planetary Defence Forces seizing power with the active help of the Word Bearers warband of Dark Apostle Varakh'Lorr. Supported by several regiments of the Astra Militarum hailing from such diverse worlds as Cadia, Mubraxis and Tanhollis, the alliance of Adrastapolian Knights led the counter-invasion from the last Imperial redoubts. Landing in the Pentakhost peninsula, the battlehungry Imperial Knights easily vanquished the hopelessly outclassed Traitor militia and what little armored support they could muster. In this first part of the Imperial counterattack, House Chimaeros and their allies still maintained the facade of loyal Imperial subjects and conducted the war according to the plans laid down by High King Tolwyn Tan Draconis, commander-in-chief of the Imperial war-effort on Donatos Primus. Secretly however, Gerraint Tan Chimaeros was already in league with the enemy - through control over a daemon known as "That Which Dwells In Darkness" his consort, Alicia Kar Manticos communicated with the enemy. On the eve of the Imperial attack on the great Adamant Citadels, a series of powerful fortifications designed to prevent Donatos Primus from falling into enemy hands, it was she who communicated Varakh'Lorr the detailed battle-plans of High King Tolwyn. Both House Chimaeros and House Wyvorn had begun to conduct the pagan rites which would ward their own Knights from the baleful effects of a specifically engineered tech-djinn designed to cripple the Imperial communication system. Once isolated and unable to communicate with each other, the Renegade Knights would turn their guns on their former allies, trapping the loyalist Imperial Knights between their own guns and that of the Valle Electrum. Despite their carefully planned betrayal, House Chimaeros' attack failed to meet all its objectives. While High King Tolwyn Tan Draconis was slain - leaving Viscount Gerraint to claim the crown of High King - Tolwyn's stubborness and tactical acumen ensured that the severely decimated Imperial Knight Houses could still extract themselves from the trap laid for them. Attacking the encircling Word Bearers, the survivors of House Draconis, House Minotos and House Pegasson broke free, retreating to a vast network of underground storage bunkers, licking their wounds. Acclaimed as new High King of Adrastapol, Gerraint Tan Chimaeros ordered his own Knight, Therianthros, to be equipped with the heirloom of the High Kings, an ancient Tempest Blade, ripped from Tolwyn's destroyed Knight Paladin. It remains unclear if Gerraint and his consort intended right from the start to betray the Word Bearers as they had betrayed their fellow Knights, but for few days the alliance between Renegade Knights and Chaos Space Marines held firm. The survivors of House Draconis, House Minotos, House Pegasson and their allies from the Imperial Guard still posed a legitimate threat, especially now that they stood united behind Tolwyn's son, Danial Tan Draconis. To eliminate this growing threat, Gerraint and Alicia planned a new ambush, one that would lure out the Loyalists' main fighting force and strike them down. To make sure the Loyalists would take the bait, Alicia Kar Manticos would poise as a helpless prisoner of House Chimaeros and try to negotiate their surrender, or, if they refused kill them in a murderous trap. The staging ground for this diversion was soon found: an abandoned Adeptus Arbites precinct fortress erected at the base of monumental cliffs. By planting Demolition Charges and other explosives within the cliff's walls, the renegades hoped to bury their opponents alive or crush them beneath thousand tons of rock. Notable Campaigns *'Ork Wars (Unknown Date)' - When the Ork Warboss Skarjaw led his WAAAGH! to the Knight World of Adrastapol, the Knights were slow to react. Before their full strength could be gathered several keeps of House Manticos were destroyed and burnt to the ground, leaving the House severely depleted. Knowing that the enemy was too powerful for them to defeat on their own, House Chimaeros called for a coalition of all the remaining households, an alliance unseen since the distant days of the Horus Heresy. Belonging to one of the most savage and feral tribes of his race, Skarjaw and his Orks rode to battle on towering Squiggoths. These great beasts can easily pose a threat to Imperial Knights, a fact the defenders of Adrastapol soon became painfully aware of. Engaged at full strength against the Orks, House Chimaeros did not anticipate Skarjaw's next move, which consisted of attacking the Draconspire, the mighty fortress of House Draconis after breaking the Adrastapolian lines. Fortunately for the defenders of the Knight World, the Gatekeeper of the Draconspire, Tolwyn Tan Draconis, acted upon his instincts and led a decisive counterattack on Skarjaw himself who had become separated from the main contingent of Orks. With Skarjaw slain, the cohesion of his WAAAGH! was broken and the fractured Greenskins were targetted by the coordinated and unified Imperial Knights. It was due to this great feat of arms that a firm friendship was formed between Gatekeeper Tolwyn Tan Draconis and High King Gerraint Tan Chimaeros. However, the survivors of this invasion soon turned feral and scattered. In the years that followed, the Knights of Adrastapol mercilessly hunted down the remaining Orks and Squiggoths until their homeworld was declared purged from the xenos filth which had befallen it. It was also during this time that the High King encountered and saved Alicia Kar Manticos in the ruins of her home, the event that ultimately sealed House Chimaeros' fate. *'Galhorm Crusade (Unknown Date)' - Very little is known about this obscure Imperial Crusade save that it was a costly battle for the Imperial troops involved and especially so for the Knights of Adrastapol. Following the death of the Kingsward, Gedric Tan Chimaeros, the crown of the High Kings of Adrastapol passed on to House Draconis. *'Donatosian Uprising (Unknown Date.M41)' - Also referred to as the Donatos War, the Donatosian Uprising marked the Imperial assault upon the rebellious Industrial World of Donatos Primus. Through the laxity of its rulers, previously undetected Chaos Cults had been allowed to grow strong until their presence invited the direct involvement of their tenebrous masters -- a Word Bearers warband under the control of the Dark Apostle Varakh'Lorr. The cultists succeeded in overthrowing the Imperial planetary government and killing the Planetary Governor as well as corrupting large portions of the Donatosian Planetary Defence Forces. However, the enemy's victory was not complete: Loyalist PDF troops and the world's contingent of the Adeptus Arbites still held out against the enemy and were able to issue a call for aid. The Imperium acted with uncustomary swiftness, despatching a sizeable army of Astra Militarum regiments under the general command of High King Tolwyn Tan Draconis and his Imperial Knights. Having secured a beachhead, the men and women of the Cadian Shock Troops, Tanhollis Highlanders and Mubraxis Dustdogs pushed back the insurgents. Both sides knew that control of the Adamant Citadels, an extensive network of powerful fortifications, would bring victory on Donatos Primus and it was with this goal in mind that High King Tolwyn prosecuted his war. As the Loyalist Imperial Knights of House Draconis, House Minotos and House Pegasson charged the enemy, House Chimaeros and House Wyvorn chose to turn Renegade at that moment and opened fire on their former allies. With the death of High King Tolwyn during this carefully planned ambush, Viscount Gerraint Tan Chimaeros proclaimed himself the new High King of Adrastopol with the backing of Archduke Dunkan Tan Wyvorn whilst Tolwyn's son and heir was proclaimed counter-king to Gerraint's claim. For a small time, Renegade Knights, Chaos Cultists and the Word Bearers Heretic Astartes were able to unite their forces against the Imperial troops, but ultimately Gerraint Tan Chimaeros knew he could not trust his allies of the Word Bearers. Using his superior numbers and the scattered deployment of the Traitor militia and PDF regiments, House Chimaeros betrayed the Word Bearer Dark Apostle, assuming control and leadership over vast portions of the Chaos army. At the same time, Alicia Kar Manticos lured the still insecure High King Danial into a second ambush during which she slew the leader of House Minotos but failed to kill Danial Tan Draconis. However, Varakh'Lorr held on to power and the control of the Adamant Citadels. Forced to fight on both fronts, House Chimaeros did not succeed in defeating the vengeful troops under High King Danial. Viscount Gerraint was slain in personal combat by Tolwyn's daughter, Jennika Tan Draconis, and the surviving Renegade Knights were mercilessly hunted down. Notable House Chimaeros Knights *''Sword of Heroes'' - Sword of Heroes is the Knight Errant that serves as the personal mount of Luk Kar Chimaeros, the Knight of Ashes. It was at the helm of Sword of Heroes that Luk Kar Chimaeros would fight and survive the Donatosian War. Throughout that conflict, Sword of Heroes proved to be a Knight of exceptional durability, surviving both the Traitor onslaught of the First Battle for the Valle Electrum and the hunt for the Renegade Knights of House Chimaeros. At the ambush in the Adeptus Arbites fortress, the Knight suit's acuators proved unusually resilient, allowing Luk to escape the tumbling wave of rocks and debris when others failed. Alone of the Chimaeros Knights, Sword of Heroes would walk again after the campaign on Donatos Primus, although it is unclear if the Knight retained its original name after Luk Kar Chimaeros fully embraced his identity as the Knight of Ashes. Bearing the colours of a Freeblade, Sword of Heroes has joined its master in the hunt for the Traitor Alicia Kar Manticos. *''Therianthros ''- Therianthros was the Knight Warden piloted by Viscount Gerraint Tan Chimaeros during the Donatos Uprising. As befitting the personal Knight of House Chimaeros' ruler, Therianthros was perhaps the best maintained Imperial Knight within the entire House and it was treated with great care by the House's oathbound Sacristans. Following the death of High King Tolwyn Tan Draconis and his own succession to the crown of the High King, Viscount Gerraint had the ancestral symbol of the office of the High King of Adrastapol, a revered Tempest Blade, fitted to Therianthros. Therianthros saw many battles on Donatos Primus but eventually met its end at the hands of Tolwyn's daughter Gatekeeper Lady Jennika Tan Draconis and her Knight Paladin, Fire Defiant. Notable House Chimaeros Personnel *'High King Rhoderic Tan Chimaeros' - A former High King of Adrastapol who ruled during the distant era of the Horus Heresy. *'Viscount Gerraint Tan Chimaeros' - Gerraint Tan Chimaeros was once an epitome of knightly virtues and honour. Inheriting the crown of the High King from his father as tradition demanded it, Gerraint was faced with a dire challenge: to lead his House and the other Adrastapolian Knight Houses against the Orks of WAAAGH! Skarjaw. By that time, he had already married and sired his son, Sire Gedric, but sadly lost his wife. In the wake of the Ork Wars of Adrastapol, the High King chose to wander in the ruins of the ancestral home of House Manticos when he discovered a lone survivor: Alicia Kar Manticos. Rushing to the wounded girl's aid, High King Gerraint saved her from almost certain death and granted her a place within House Chimaeros. It was also at this time that a firm friendship developed between House Draconis and House Chimaeros, the rulers of the respective Houses being friends themselves. Despite the great difference in age, the relationship between Alicia and Gerraint soon turned to love, and Gerraint formally recognised her as his consort. he soon sired a second son, Luk Tan Chimaeros, with her. For a short time, Gerraint knew true bliss -- until the Imperium called for Adrastapol's help in the prosecution of the Galhorm Crusade. This campaign cost the Adrastapolian Knights dearly, but perhaps none so much as High King Gerraint. Gerraint had been badly wounded, leaving his face scarred and his body in need of an augmetic brace, but even worse was the loss of his beloved son Gedric, who lay amongst the slain Knights. Since technically Luk Tan Chimaeros was a bastard, he could not be named Kingsward and therefore House Chimaeros lost the Crown to House Draconis. These twin losses weighed heavily on the former High King, now Viscount of House Chimaeros, a grief his consort preyed upon to turn Gerraint to the worship of the Chaos God Tzeentch. While overtly professing his friendship and allegiance to High King Tolwyn Tan Draconis, Gerraint secretly began to plot his former friend's downfall. Viscount Gerraint covertly formed an alliance with House Wyvorn and waited for an opportunity to strike. That moment came during the Donatos Uprising. Through the intermediary of a daemonic entity, Gerraint and Alicia communicated with the enemy commander, the Dark Apostle Varakh'Lorr of the Word Bearers, and formed an alliance with the worshippers of Chaos. As the Imperial forces stormed the enemy stronghold, House Wyvorn and House Chimaeros turned their guns against their fellow Adrastapolians Knights. While High King Tolwyn was slain, Gerraint's plan ultimately failed to eliminate all of the Loyalist Knights, who soon proclaimed Danial Tan Draconis the new High King of Adrastapol despite Gerraint's counterclaim. In a further act of infamy, Gerraint claimed both the High King's crown from Tolwyn's corpse and the specially-fashioned Tempest Blade from Tolwyn's Knight. Gerraint's alliance with the Chaos worshippers and the Word Bearers in particular seems to have been a tense one. As he and his concubine hatched yet another plan to eliminate the remaining Loyalist Knights, he was already planning to betray his new allies as he had done with his old. Gerraint's betrayal seems to have been motivated by political reasons and not because of any affinities with the creed of Tzeentch or Chaos Undivided. He simply wished to regain control over Adrastapol and turn his back upon the distant Imperium which had cost him so dearly. While he left Alicia Kar Manticos to deal with the boy-king, Viscount Gerraint went to confront the Word Bearers. On a preordained signal, the Knight of House Chimaeros turned their guns on the Word Bearers, killing dozens of Chaos Space Marines and gaining control over most of the Donatosian rebel troops. Only in their stronghold of the Valle Electrum did the Word Bearers' resistance prove too great to overcome. While severely depleting the Loyalists' numbers, the second ambush failed to eliminate Danial Tan Draconis and only served to steel his resolve to overcome his enemies. Soon the Valle Electrum became the focus of the entire war, Loyalists, Chaos Cultists and secessionists alike determined to take it. A three-way-war erupted there between House Chimaeros and its allies, the Word Bearers and the Loyalist Knights of Adrastapol. Gerraint Chimaeros faced Jennika Tan Draconis, Tolwyn's daughter in single combat while around him his House died under the vengeful blows of the survivors of Houses Draconis, Pegasson and Minotos and the crazed attentions of Dunkan Tan Wyvorn, driven mad by the mental stress of trying to pilot a relic Acastus Knight Porphyrion. Breaking with the Chivalric Code, Gerraint attempted to attack Jennika even though she had challenged him in single combat. Fortunately for her, she was ready for such treachery and deflected the shots with her Ion Shield. After a short but brutal fight, Lady Jennika Tan Draconis emerged victorious, executing Gerraint's fallen Knight at point-blank range. *'Kingsward Gedric Tan Chimaeros' - First-born son of Gerraint Tan Chimaeros and his first wife, Gedric was the designated heir to the throne of Adrastapol. When his father, then still the High King, led the the noble Knight Houses of Adrastapol into the Galhorm Crusade, he likely didn't know that he would lose his only son. For while the losses of House Chimaeros were numerous, none hurt Gerraint Tan Chimaeros as much as Gedric's death, for it also meant that the crown of the High King would need to pass to another House that still possessed a legitimate heir. *'Sire Luk Kar Chimaeros, The Knight of Ashes' - Second son of Viscount Gerraint Tan Chimaeros and his concubine, Alicia Kar Manticos, Luk was raised in the company of the current High King of Adrastapol, Danial Tan Draconis, with whom he shared a deep friendship. His loyalty to his friend was so absolute that his own parents recognised it would be impossible to turn their son away from the Imperial Creed and the Chivalric Code. Thus Luk Kar Chimaeros was deliberately kept out of the schemes of his parents, though in the wake of House Chimaeros' betrayal many were the Knights who condemned him simply by association. The subterfuge worked well and when House Chimaeros betrayed High King Tolwyn, Luk Tan Chimaeros was as surprised as his friends from House Draconis. Although his Knight armour was also damaged in the ambush, upon his return from the battlefield, Luk was met with considerable ill-will and resentment. Markos Dar Draconis, the man who had taught him how to fight and uphold the Chivalric Code was most vocal in his opposition. But Luk, utterly loyal to the Imperial Creed, would not let himself be taunted. With his friend, Danial Tan Draconis, next in line to the throne of the High King, Luk knew that at least one person of influence would listen to him. With Danial vouching for Luk's true loyalty, Luk Tan Chimaeros was tolerated amongst the Loyalists, but none save Danial and perhaps his sister truly trusted him, although he took to the field several times against both the Donatosian insurrectionists and the Renegade House Chimaeros Knights. Burning with the urge to avenge the slights done to his honour, Luk joined a hunting party of Loyalists Knights which succeeded in tracking a party of Renegade House Chimaeros Knights to an abandoned Adeptus Arbites fortress. Led by the newly-elected High King Danial, the Loyalist Knights swiftly killed those guards posted by the enemy commander, hoping to eliminate either the leader of House Chimaeros or House Wyvorn. Unfortunately, once within the fortress' walls, the tables were turned upon the Loyalists, for the enemy leader was neither Gerraint Tan Chimaeros, nor Dunkan Tan Wyvorn, but Alicia Kar Manticos, Luk's own mother. Through ruse and subterfuge, Alicia had hoped to force the Loyalist Knights into surrender, but the High King categorically refused to give into her demands. Revealing her true identity as the enemy commander and a powerful psyker, Alicia killed the leader of House Minotos in a horrid way, transforming the unfortunate Grandmarshal and his Knight into a gigantic Chaos Spawn. Frozen in terror, Luk could only stare in horror as his mother teleported herself and her followers to safety. The Renegade Knights had also violated the tenets of the Chivalric Code by placing explosives within the fortress. The Traitors detonated them, hoping to kill as many Loyalists as possible. Fleeing from the wave of destruction, Luk refused to leave his friend behind and both barely escaped with their lives. Others were less fortunate, and these additional deaths considerably affected the Loyalists' morale. For some, to see the son of a Renegade House in their midst was too painful to bear. In the end it was Markos Dar Draconis that challenged Luk Tan Chimaeros to a duel to the death. The Herald was an experienced warrior and repeatedly brought Luk to the edge of defeat, but through bloody determination Luk Tan Chimaeros always managed to get back up again. In the end, it was Markos who lay broken on the ground, his weapon shattered beside him. Recognising that his origins would never free him of the stain of dishonour on his homeworld, Luk took the oath of a Freeblade, renouncing his family name and everything that went with it. Henceforth, he would be Luk Kar Chimaeros -- the Knight of Ashes. For the remainder of the Donatos Uprising, Luk Kar Chimaeros faithfully stood at the side of his friend, following his orders and offering his council when asked, even though as a Freeblade he could have done as he pleased. When High King Danial led the charge during the Second Battle for the Valle Electrum, Luk stood at his side, fighting through both defence lines and their automated or rebel-crewed heavy weapons emplacements and the Renegade Knights of House Wyvorn and House Chimaeros. Luk was selected to accompany the High King to confront the enemy's main commander, the Dark Apostle Varakh'Lorr, who had entered the first stages of his transition to daemonhood. There, in the heart of Donatos' cathedral, the Dark Apostle was locked in a sorcerous duel with Alicia Kar Manticos. Coming under fire from a squad of Word Bearers, the two Imperial Knights split up, Luk facing his mother, who unleashed a wave of sorcerous fire after he refused to join her in treachery. Fortunately, Luk had kept his Ion Shield up and weathered the firestorm before unleashing the wrath of his Thermal Cannon -- blowing his mother through the rear wall. Turning around, Luk and the High King were confronted by a towering monstrosity of flesh and bones, a malformed, mutant abomination crafted from the bodies of Donatos' astropathic choir and the baleful energies of the Warp. Even the combined might of two Imperial Knights were no match for the towering creature. Fortunately for Luk, the thing was so eager to come to grips with them that the Knights charged and the mutant threw itself on the sacrificial pyre Varakh'Lorr was using too fuel his ascension. The tortured souls of the Astropaths promptly turned on the Dark Apostle, consuming his flesh and soul. Thus was the battle for Donatos Primus won. Yet even in victory, the quest of the Knight of Ashes had only begun. After a short period of rest on Adrastapol during which Sword of Heroes was given its new Freeblade panoply, Luk Kar Chimaeros set out to hunt down his mother, who had escaped Donatos Primus by sorcerous means. As he left his homeworld behind, High King Danial gifted his friend a token of his appreciation, the signature weapon of House Draconis, a draconblade. *'Sire Deldric Dar Chimaeros' - Sire Deldric was one of the surving Knights of House Chimaeros who stood by Viscount Gerraint in the final battle of the Donatos Uprising. Like most of the Knights of House Chimaeros, he was slain by the vengeful Adrastapolian Nobles under High King Danial Tan Draconis. *'Sire Guillarm Dar Chimaeros' - Sire Guillarm participated in the Donatos Uprising and survived both the betrayal and the internecine fighting against the Word Bearers only to fall during the Second Battle of the Valle Electrum. *'Sire Massimo Dar Chimaeros' - Sire Massimo was one of the three remaining pilots of Knights Gallant present at the Second Battle for the Valle Electrum. He was killed charging the coalition of Loyalist Knights under High King Danial Tan Draconis. *'Sire Paoul Dar Chimaeros' - Sire Paoul was a member of Viscount Gerraint's close retinue. He was slain in the cataclysmic final battle on Donatos Primus. *'Sire Vendt Dar Chimaeros' - Sire Vendt was the third and last member of Lance Hectour, the sole remaining Lance of Knights Gallants in service to House Chimaeros after the bloody fighting on Donatos Primus. Like his fellow Knights, Sire Vendt was slain during the Second Battle for the Valle Electrum, brought low right on the Place of Martyrs where the final showdown between Loyalist and Renegade Knights occurred. *'Xedediah Kar Mechanicus' - High Sacristan of House Chimaeros at the time of the Donatos Uprising, Xedediah Kar Mechanicus was swayed by the promises of power and new technological discoveries and scientific mysteries professed by Alicia Kar Manticos. Once he turned Traitor, Xedediah proved a powerful ally, first ensuring the corruption of Houses Chimaeros and Wyvorn and then engineering the corrupted data-djinn which paralyzed the Loyalists' communication network at the chosen moment of House Chimaeros' betrayal. It would also be through Xedediah's efforts that the surviving Loyalists under High King Danial could be tracked down and brought to battle by the Chaos army. Although helpful, the instigators of House Chimaeros' rebellion never truly trusted him, aware that once the shackles of Adeptus Mechanicus-dogma had been shed, Xebediad's thirst for knowledge would make him an unreliable ally at best. It is unclear if Xedediah survived the events of the reconquest of Donatos Primus or if he was able to escape his much deserved fate. House Strength As one of the primary Knight Houses of Adrastapol and the ancestral home of a long and proud line of High Kings, House Chimaeros was generally considered the most powerful of the world's knightly households, matched perhaps only by its rival from House Draconis. This balance of power was upset when in the wake of Viscount Gerraint's and Lady Alicia's union, House Chimaeros all but swallowed the remainder of House Manticos. Establishing the true military strength of House Chimaeros in the wake of the extensive data-purge that followed their betrayal and their condemnation as reductum hereticum extremis is difficult. Conservative estimates would place them at the higher secundus rank, which would account for around 150 suits of Knight armour, several of which retained their allegiance to House Manticos. As with other Knight Houses of Adrastapol, House Chimaeros relied heavily on the Knight Paladin and its variants, of which it favoured an even mix. House Appearance House Colours House Chimaeros' colours are listed as a quartered livery of grey and green. House Arms As their name indicates, the arms of House Chimaeros bear the emblem of the ancient and fierce mythological creature known as the chimaeros, or chimera in the legends of Old Earth. Signature Weapon The scions of House Chimaeros were famously equipped with one of the most exotic weapons of Adrastapol, the well-named chimersword. Heavier than the Pegassian Rapier and yet lighter than the draconblade favoured by House Draconis, the chimersword is a peculiar longsword whose blade is said to reflect light as if it was covered in oil. During honour duels, a chimersword is said to cut through the air with an eerie, otherworldly sound, a technique believed to be used to unnerve the Scion's opponent and bring him to commit some fatal error. This is only made possible by the peculiar composition of the weapon, for where most swords have a blade forged from a single piece of steel, the chimersword's blade is made up of a series of discs, held together by a central metallic cord. By releasing the tension in the cord, the chimersword can almost instantly pass from sword to whip. This versatility makes the Chimaeros' swordplay an incredibly fluid fighting style. It often involves a defensive pirouette during which the wielder can unexpectedly transform the sword into a whip. Even when used as a whip, the metallic cord is powerful enough to trap and even break enemy weapons. Sources *''Kingsblade'' (Novel) by Andy Clark Category:C Category:Chaos Category:Chaos Walkers Category:Imperial Walkers Category:Imperium Category:Knight Houses Category:Walkers